Mother's Day With Kouji
by dragonsunlight
Summary: [Three part oneshot] The one day Kouji resented shows him that the one thing he always felt was missing is actually complete, despite the fact that it's still split. [Intro, Ending: Kouji POV]
1. Fated Circle

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Summary- (Three part one-shot) The one day Kouji resented shows him that the one thing he always felt was missing is actually complete, despite the fact that it's still split. (Intro, Ending- Kouji POV)

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Mother's Day With Kouji

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Part 1: Fated Circle

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Every Mother's Day, as far back as I can remember, has been different. I guess I shouldn't have expected it to be a ritual day, as is for more kids.

When I was little, maybe four, I remember looking at the calendar. _Mother's Day_, it said, and so I went up to my dad and asked, "Daddy, where's Mom?"

He would smile, of course, a strained smile. And that same dreaded phrase would come out of his mouth.

I heard that same phrase for the past years of my life, but the past is the past, right? I remember the next year I asked the same thing. It took him a sitting down with me and a detailed explanation before I finally understood.

When I grew up a little, I accepted this fact and decided to move on. But on days like those, on those dreaded _Mother's Day_ days...I'd hate life to death, and wish that I were just dead. All those families, smiling as they walked out of the house, driving away to celebrate...

I hated smiles, and I hated that life would put me in a situation like the one I was in. I gave up smiling, and hoping. I got a dog, but a dog can't make up for a mother, and only a few smiles resulted from that. I got a stepmother, but you can never replace a mother, can you?

'_She's dead, Kouji_,' Dad would say. I remember, one time, I dashed out with flowers I picked from our backyard, heading to the nearest cemetery. They must have given her a proper burial, right?

I must have looked for hours that day, but I never found our family name. There was a possibility that they used the maiden name, but it wasn't like Dad would tell me.

That was one year before the Digital World.

Maybe today shouldn't have been any different. The difference being, that is, that it shouldn't have been a typical day. Or a typical Mother's Day. I felt this tingling feeling within me, scarily bubbly. Going over to see Kouichi and Mom wasn't _that_ exciting.

There's more than I let on, I admit, but it's not exciting. It's mortifying, okay? I'm scared to death. I shouldn't be, but I can't help it. After all these years, I finally know my mother. The more I see her, the more I want to see her again, and the more I worry I'll make my stepmother feel neglected.

Once I left the Digital World and ran to see if Kouichi was okay, I was _sure_ my life was sorted out. I had Kouichi. I had my parents. I _knew_ my mother. That was supposed to be the end of it, but it wasn't. There was something else. I had to split my time for them. I couldn't neglect either party. One was just as important as the other.

I wonder if this is how a country feels when elections for presidency or whatnot are running.

Back to today, I managed to make a schedule in the morning. Party after party after picnic after picnic after barbecue after barbecue. All the activities seemed to overlap. Strangely, I felt as if Kouichi and Dad were the masterminds behind this. It's too scary to imagine. Yeah, your cue to shiver like crazy. But what _else_ could I think, with my day completely filled? Some hours, I was expected to be in two places at once.

If you want to know the worst of it, most everything was in the same park.

If you want to know the horrors of the worst of it, Takuya decided to set up a party tonight just _for_ Mother's Day, and invited _everyone_, i.e. Junpei's family, Izumi's family, Tomoki's family, (his family obviously), Kouichi and our mom, and then...me. Me refers to myself, Dad, and Satomi.

The goggle is squeezing his brains out. I've mentioned this fact to Kouichi several times throughout the week, but he doesn't seem worried. All he does is give me that 'everything's fine here!' smile and say, "Yeah..."

'Yeah...'? That means _nothing_ to me! Can he not understand my panic? It's _justified_ panic, too! Of course, I mask it in the form of common sense that must get through to their brains, but no one seems to care but me.

Maybe I'm thinking too much. Loneliness does tend to lead you to get caught up in your thoughts...

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Kouji kept his gaze set hard on the image in front of him. He didn't expect to _break_ the glass, but tried to shatter the imagine in his head. His fists clenched as he slammed them down on the bathroom counter. _This is _not_ fair_, he thought, exiting the bathroom and yanking on the tie at his neck.

"Kouji! What kept you? Help your mother with some of those dishes, would you?" his father called from downstairs.

At the word 'mother,' Kouji flinched. Nevertheless, he yelled, "Coming!" and raced down the stairs.

If there was one thing Kouji could say as he pushed aside the streamers and balloons to make his way to the kitchen, it was that adults were odd. _What's so great about a first date, anyway? It's Mother's Day. I'm sure the other people want to celebrate_, he thought grumpily. "I got it," murmured the bandana boy, taking a dish from his stepmother, Satomi.

Letting out a small laugh at the site of the boy, Satomi asked, "Kouji, shouldn't you take off your bandana?"

He paused for a moment, stuck in thought. After a shrug, he replied, "I won't say if you won't." A small smile was shown as Satomi let out another laugh. He turned around and made his way to the table. _And why does it have to be a _formal_ party, especially on _Sunday, _my free day_,_ in the morning? Dad knows I hate suits_...

Kousei Minamoto clapped his son on the back and folded his arms across his chest, looking immensely proud. "Look at this, Kouji! Another successful party! You think your mom is having fun?" he asked Kouji, looking at the boy eagerly.

_Which one?_ Kouji said nothing aloud, but instead placed the dish on the table and shrugged. He kept his eyes glued to his feet for fear an expression would give him away.

"Wait a second..."

Kouji froze and held his breath.

"Kouji, why are you wearing your bandana?" Kousei demanded.

Scowling, Kouji brushed his father's hands away as the man attempted to take the bandana off him. Ripping the cloth off himself, he snapped, "Okay, okay!" _I really hope Kouichi didn't decide on a formal party_. _But then again, what kind of formal party involves a park?_ He snorted at the thought and shoved his bandana in a pant pocket.

For the next few minutes, Kouji made it his top priority to make himself invisible. There were several other children of the families that had come, and many of them were generally close to his age, but talking wasn't an option to him. He had better things to do.

When he was sure he was invisible enough, Kouji turned around and broke for the stairs. He hadn't even taken his first step when someone grabbed his shoulder. Annoyance was ready to bubble to the surface and be noticed. Suppressing this, Kouji turned around with a forced, fake smile. "Hello..." he said awkwardly.

"Ah, Kouji!" A middle-aged man with messy black hair stood in front of him, beaming down on the bandana-less boy. Kouji was positive he knew the man, but couldn't place it as, in his head, all the guests were the same to him. The man's head bobbed up and down ever so slightly, a tic he seemed to be born with. Kouji was almost reminded of Takuya in a way. "Glad I caught you. Could you possibly ask Satomi for the recipe of-"

The phone rang. Kouji held up a hand to the man and made an immediate grab for the phone, yelling as he did, "Got it!" He looked around. The man went away. Smirking victoriously, Kouji answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Kouji?"

Kouji paled. Lowering his voice, he hissed, "What are you doing? I told you to call my cell!" He looked around for any sign of his father or Satomi. A part of him wondered why he was so worried.

The boy on the other line snorted. "Your cell wasn't answered. I called twenty times. Yes, Kouji, I counted. Hey, do me a favor, would you?"

"Is that why you called?"

"Sadly. I'm busy with planning this out at the moment. I need you to bring flowers on the way here, okay?"

Kouji scowled. "Why don't you ask Takuya or someone else?" he demanded. He couldn't be sure why he always asked for _Takuya_ of all people to do his jobs. There wasn't a person you could be more worried about to get the job done.

The other boy just laughed, as if expecting that answer. "You live closest to the shop and he's got a soccer game right now. I'd ask his brother, but I'm not sure Shinya's trustworthy. He might wander off," he replied with a chuckle.

A sigh. _I can't believe I get stuck in situations like this all the time_. "What type?"

For a moment, there was silence. Then: "Anything's fine. Maybe carnations? You've got good taste. Use it."

"Why do you guys have to plan stupid parties for things like this? I don't think even Christmas is this celebrated..." Kouji muttered under his breath.

Again, the boy laughed. "Well, Kouji, just wait until Father's Day."

"I _refuse_ to go on another fishing trip. _You_ go in my place!" the boy hissed. He reddened in embarrassment at the memory of falling out of the boat last year.

"I don't wear bandanas, sorry."

"Kouichi, you're a _lousy_ twin brother."

"Just get the flowers."

"Fine. I'll be able to get out in five minutes, I think."

"Right."

"Bye." Kouji slammed the phone in the receiver and jumped as he did. He had almost forgotten about the guests in the room. _First plan of action...now!_ "Dad, I have to get going now," he said, walking up to his father with his hands in his pocket. He wasn't going to flap his arms like a chicken and look conspicuous.

Kousei, who had been smiling and laughing as he talked to some of his friends, looked at his son. Immediately, the smile faded. "So soon...?" he asked.

"Uh..yeah..." _What was my excuse? Kendo practice? Guitar practice?_ He nearly cursed on the spot.

Lucky for him, Mr. Minamoto chose not to question his son. "Alright. Need a ride?"

Kouji answered quickly. "No," he blurted, biting the tip of his tongue. Without wasting time, he ran upstairs to change.

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Several minutes later, Kouji found himself inside a florist's shop, staring at flowers without meaning. When he snapped out of his daze, he decided to go with the nearest, good-looking (for his taste) flowers he could find. His eye caught sight of some roses and grabbed the bouquet (it even had a 'Mother's day discount'), taking it to the register. After paying and deciding to come back later to get another bouquet for Satomi, Kouji departed with his next stop in mind being the park.

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Kouichi let out a groan as he lay back against the tree with his eyes shut. Organizing all of this was proving to be much more of a pain than he expected.

"Need some help?"

Opening his eyes, Kouichi nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Izumi," he murmured, letting out a relieved sigh. At least he had a girl's opinion on the matter. "How are Junpei and Tomoki coming with the burgers?"

"Just fine. Our parents are preoccupied talking, too. Need anything else?" she asked.

Kouichi suspected her to be holding back a smile. He was about to shake his head, but stopped. "Izumi, one more thing-"

"Yes?"

Curious, Kouichi asked, "Is Kouji embarrassed when you call his home phone?"

The question stunned her, and her face showed it. "No," she replied slowly, trying to anticipate where the conversation was heading.

"What about Takuya?"

"I don't think so..."

"Tomoki?"

At this, Izumi smiled, catching onto the pattern. "I don't think Tomoki would call Kouji out of randomness, but if he did, I don't think Kouji would be embarrassed. The same goes for Junpei, Kouichi," she told the boy, taking a seat under the tree beside him. "Dare I ask?"

"He always seems so scared whenever I call him, but it's worse with the home phone than the cell phone." Kouichi had a thoughtful expression on his face. "I can't imagine why," he confessed to the girl, gazing at her for an answer.

_Brothers_, Izumi thought, just smiling. _No, I stand corrected_. Boys_, would be the correct version_. Shutting her eyes and leaning back on the trunk, she murmured, "Your dad doesn't know, does he? Maybe that's why. I guess Kouji feels like keeping this entire thing a secret." She cracked open one eye to observe his reaction.

Kouichi nodded slowly. "I guess...but it's not like it's possible to escape the facts, especially after tonight." A grin seeped through his expressionless face.

Laughing, Izumi hit his shoulder playfully. "You're as bad as Takuya," she told him.

"Actually, that's what Takuya told me," Kouichi admitted, letting out a small laugh. "Crazy smile included." He rose to his feet. "So...everything's done, then? All we need is the food." Turning to Izumi, Kouichi bowed politely and asked, "Then shall we help Tomoki with the burgers?"

Izumi burst out laughing. "No, I won't tell Takuya you did that," she said, accepting his hand and allowing him to pull her up. Her laughter faded as she caught sight of something in the distance. "Hey, isn't that Kouji?"

Releasing her hand, Kouichi turned and craned his neck to catch sight of his brother. "You sure?" he asked.

"_There_," Izumi snapped irritably, pointing to the figure that was madly dashing towards them.

Letting out a nervous laugh, Kouichi mumbled, "Oh. I thought that was Takuya for a minute there."

She let out a gasp of disbelief. Gazing at Kouichi as if he sprouted extra arms, Izumi allowed her jaw to hang and muttered, "What?"

"Well Kouji never madly _dashes_ towards us. Sometimes he's angry, sure, but it's never charging straight for you like he wants to tackle you," Kouichi explained, gazing at the rapidly advancing boy. He and Izumi started their walk towards the tables.

After a moment of pondering this thought, Izumi nodded. "Point taken. But Takuya doesn't really do that, you know," she commented.

"Maybe I'm talking about Shinya."

"Tomoki tends to do that sometimes."

"But never _Kouji_," they mused in unison, exchanging curious glances.

The two arrived at the picnic tables in a few short seconds, discovering Kouji there, breath ragged. A bouquet was in his hands; Kouichi took them and handed them to Izumi. "I guess there's something for you to do after all," the boy laughed.

Izumi rolled her eyes and left the two brothers to put the flowers in water.

"Thanks, Kouji," Kouichi murmured, taking a seat on a nearby bench. "Why were you running, though?"

Scowling, the younger twin replied, "Takuya saw me in the middle of his game and got hit in the head with a soccer ball, the party Dad threw ended minutes ago and they drove past the street I was walking on, so I had to hide in a telephone booth, but some old lady told me to get out because she had to make a call. And all this time, I had to carry _roses_, of all things, in my hands."

Kouichi rose an eyebrow. "Exaggerations? Details?" he asked.

"I walked by Takuya's game to see if he was done. I think the roses were what scared him, so he stood there gawking at me for seconds, and some teammate of his kicked the ball, which, as I said, hit his head. Dad probably went to restock on party supplies, and I dove into the telephone booth. Knowing him for who he is, I guessed he had the wrong street, so I stayed there for several minutes. Then this old-okay, she was probably two or three years older than me-this..._girl_ told me to get out, and I argued with her for several minutes because she thought I was waiting for my girlfriend. _What_ girlfriend?" Kouji let out an annoyed growl. "Mother's Day, and I get accused of waiting for a _girlfriend_. _What girlfriend?_" he repeated again.

Kouichi pointed to the empty space beside his brother. "Right there."

"_Not funny_."

Smiling crookedly, Kouichi said pointedly, "At least Dad isn't here...?" He held his breath and waited for his brother's reaction.

Eyes wide, Kouji exclaimed, "_Exactly!_ Why is it you only see this now! Do you realize what would happen if Dad was here? It's bad enough that he's coming tonight!" An impatient sigh came from him as he adjusted his bandana. "It's about time I take things into my own hands," the bandana boy muttered.

_He's lost it_, Kouichi thought, shaking his head. "Whatever, Kouji," he murmured, walking over to where everyone else was. "Why don't you help Tomoki or something?"

"What's he doing?"

"Making his burger special with Junpei and the others."

"Great," Kouji muttered, heading off. "I get to make burgers for the remainder of time."

"Say hi to Mom while you're at it!" Kouichi yelled after his brother, shaking his head as the younger twin nearly tripped over the seat of a nearby bench.

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Kouji watched dazedly as everyone sat down on the bench, laughing and joking. There was a jubilant air, but it couldn't get to him. He glanced at his mother, who seemed to be enjoying herself. The boy let out a sigh, and his gaze drifted back to his plate of untouched food.

"Kouji, you haven't touched anything."

Immediately, he reddened at the voice. "I'm not-" he started, but quickly took the burger and shoved it towards his mouth, not looking at the speaker as he did this. With great difficulty, he took a bite and threw the burger back on the plate. His hands went to his throat.

All the chatter stopped. "Mom, I think you scared him," Kouichi said pointedly, watching in amusement and worry as Kouji began coughing. He eventually rose to his feet and ran to the nearest garbage can, where he managed to spit out the food he had choked on.

"What time is it...?" Kouji asked weakly, scuffling his feet as he walked back to the bench. He sat down and, with a groan, pushed his plate away and lay his head down on the table.

"A bit past lunch, why?" Yutaka asked, looking at his watch.

Kouji's eyes widened, and he shot up. "NO!" he yelled. Without explanation, he turned around and ran off, cursing and wishing he was the roadrunner on TV.

Everyone watched as he dashed off, and Kouichi shared a secret smile with Izumi, Junpei, Tomoki and Takuya. Yutaka glanced from his watch to the fading back of Kouji. Then he turned to Tomoki. "Was my cooking that bad?"

Glancing hopefully from his empty plate to Kouji's bitten burger Takuya asked instead, "Do you think he'll want his burger?"

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Being in the hurry he was, Kouji very nearly forgot to get another bouquet for Satomi. Had he had time, he would have pondered exactly how ridiculous he looked, running around with roses for the second time that day. _And why do they assume I have a girlfriend?_ Kouji scowled at the remarks of passers-by.

He entered the house in a very foul mood, which became even worse as he headed to the backyard to discover he really hadn't been missing. _From formal to informal_. _This, only Dad could accomplish_, he observed, looking around and counting how many other bored children there were. _And Takuya should have been one of them_. _He's lucky his dad politely denied_.

Striding up to his stepmother, Kouji held out the bouquet. "Uh...H-happy Mother's Day," he mumbled, looking away as a blush crept up his cheeks. _I should get a separate bouquet for Mom_, he thought. _I'll get that on the way back_.

Satomi stared at him in surprise. When she finally took the flowers into her hands, she smiled. "Thank you, Kouji," Satomi said softly, admiring the roses.

Kouji nodded furiously and made it his first priority to get away. _One embarrassing act done, how many more to go?_ Drawing several breaths, Kouji leaned against the door leading back into the kitchen, ready to bolt first chance he got.

As he expected, he never got the chance.

From the grill, his father called out, "Kouji!" In one hand was a plate of hotdogs, in the other, hamburgers. Hamburgers brought back bad memories in more ways than one.

His cell phone rang.

"Kouji!" someone else shouted. He wasn't sure who it was, but the voice sounded familiar.

Another ring from his phone.

Again, from someone else he didn't know: "Kouji!"

_No more_, _please_. Shutting his eyes, Kouji opened the door and pulled himself inside, shutting the door immediately and locking it as well. A third ring from his cell phone startled him, and he jumped before realizing what it was. After fumbling with the cell phone in the process of taking it out, he answered meekly, "Hello...?"

"Hey!"

The timid side of Kouji vaporized as he recognized the voice. "_What_, Takuya?" he growled in annoyance.

On the other side of the line, he could hear Takuya asking in a loud voice, "Kouichi, does Kouji act all grumpy when _you_ call him?" The answer was a confused sound.

The bandana boy scowled. Making a mental note to steal Takuya's goggles the first chance he got, he snapped, "Takuya, do you have anything important to say? I heard my name at least _five_ times after I shut the door. So say it and go." An irritated sigh escaped him.

"Rough day?" Takuya guessed.

"_Takuya_." Kouji's tone was at its warning level.

A nervous laugh escaped the goggle boy. "I'm sorry...was it because of the roses?" he guessed again.

"I'm hanging up."

"NO! Wait, wait! Say, uh...what's your home phone number?"

Kouji paused.

"Is that what this is all about?" Kouji suddenly yelled into the cell phone, reddening in frustration.

There was a pause on the other end. "Yes...?" Takuya replied in a sheepish voice.

Another sigh escaped Kouji, heavy and forceful. With great difficulty, he managed to say through gritted teeth, "Listen, Takuya...maybe you should question _other_ sources before going to the _main_ source, especially if you're going to waste a _phone_ call over it." He paused, then added, "Kouichi has the number."

"OH! Oh, okay. And Kouichi says to get another dozen roses. He'll pay you back."

Kouji grinded his teeth together. "I see..."

"No, no...scratch that. No wait...the roses. Scratch? Roses? Scratch? Rose-hey! _My_ cell phone!" The indignant cries of Takuya could be heard, however faded they were.

As he was expecting Kouichi to be the cell phone thief, Kouji jumped at the sound of a girl's voice on the phone. "What he _means_ is to say that Kouichi would be immensely content if you were able to go to the florist shop once more and buy three other bouquets of flowers (something bright and all three different), along with vases. He would also like you to transport it here when you arrive for the party tonight. If it would help, you're not expected to attend the activities before." Izumi said all this slowly and carefully, emphasizing points where needed. "Got it?" she asked.

Still recovering from shock, Kouji nodded mutely.

"Kouji?"

"Uh! I mean, yeah, I got it!" he said quickly, smacking his forehead mentally.

He could practically imagine Izumi smiling sweetly as she said in a poisonously sweet voice, "Okay. We'll see you tonight...and _don't_ forget to come."

Whimpering silently to himself, Kouji turned off the cell phone. He then proceeded to hit his head against the wall. _Why?_ Another hit. _Why?_ Another hit. _Why?_ Another hit, and the answer _still_ refused to come to him.

There was a knock on the door leading to the backyard, to Kouji's left. "Kouji?" someone called out.

_Satomi_, Kouji realized, and immediately ran to unlock the door. He stood aside, stiff, and opened the door, allowing his stepmother to come inside, a puzzled look evident on her face. _Way to go, Kouji_. _First you give her roses, and then you lock her out. What an _idiot, he thought to himself, swallowing. "Uh...sorry. What's up?" He immediately kicked the back of one foot with the other, smiling casually.

"The guests are leaving," said Satomi, staring blankly at Kouji. "We have thirty minutes until we're expected to be at the park. If you have anything to do, I suggest you do it now." Kouji nodded, and was about to leave when Satomi frowned and pulled him back. "One second. There's something...wrong..."

Kouji began to panic inside as Satomi peered closely at him, her frown only deepening. _Can she read minds? Did she find out? Am I dead meat?_ He swallowed nervously and put on an uneasy smile, accompanied by a short, forced, laugh. "Well, I've got to go change now," he started, trying to edge away. When she didn't stop him, Kouji turned around and dashed for the stairs.

His stepmother nodded. "And Kouji?" He winced and looked over his shoulder, a pained expression forced to leave his face. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Satomi snapped, "For goodness sakes, get some more sleep! You're too _young_ to get bags under your eyes!" Muttering to herself, she headed towards the kitchen.

_What a mother_, Kouji thought, hiding a smile as he dashed up the stairs. Flinging himself onto his bed face down, he let out a groan that was silenced by the pillow. _Thirty minutes_, he told himself. _Only thirty minutes_.

It seemed he would have to improvise.

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"So I said we should bring Kouji over! What do you think, Satomi?" Kousei sent a warming smile to his wife, taking his eyes off the road for a moment to do so.

Kouji winced as the car began its journey in a diagonal direction to the next lane over. "Dad-" he started at the same time Satomi blanched and whispered, "Kousei-" but by that time Kousei had his eyes back on the road and was humming to himself.

Son and stepmother exchanged helpless glances.

"Ah, about Kouji, that would be a lovely idea," continued Satomi, sending a questioning glance to Kouji. "Wouldn't it?"

Looking up, the bandana boy asked somewhat dumbly, "What?"

Satomi's patience didn't waver a bit. She seemed to enjoy herself as she explained, "We're thinking of taking you to the picnic at the end of the day. One of your father's friends invited us, and it would be incredibly rude if we didn't come, seeing as we're free. Do they have a son?"

Kouji clutched the end of his seat, holding back his excitement. Being who he was, he had conveniently 'forgot' to tell either of his parents about the party Takuya was hosting.

"A daughter," Kousei chuckled, raising an eyebrow and looking at Kouji in the rearview mirror.

Angrily and genuinely, Kouji growled, "_Not interested in girls_." Then, in a grumpy manner, he folded his arms across his chest and glared out the window. _Yes, let's go. This way they won't go to that stupid goggle head's party_. He nearly cackled, but stopped himself just in time.

Another chuckle came from Kousei. "That's what they all say at this age. Not interested...hah!" He hid his smile and turned to look over his shoulder. "Any objections, though?" An eyebrow was raised in amusement, still.

"NO! DAD YOU'RE GOING TO HIT THAT CAR!" Kouji screamed, leaning back in his seat out of fright.

The amusement turned to confusion as Kousei looked in front of him and the car located its old path. Not seeing what was wrong, Kousei turned to his wife and asked, "What? Satomi, what's he talking about?"

With a forced smile, Satomi said, "Nothing...nothing..." but Kouji heard the sigh of relief in her voice.

"Well, since there are no objections, looks like we'll be going anyway!" Kousei laughed.

Kouji bit his lower lip. _The flowers_, he thought to himself, and guilt washed over him. He was compelled to ask, "Uh...wh-what time?"

"About...seven."

_Same time as Takuya's ridiculous party_. Two parts of Kouji began duking it out, and he could literally feel the pain run through him.

_You have to go! For the flowers, if nothing else_.

_Kouichi can get the flowers_. _He owes you that much_.

He_ owes _you? You _owe_ him! _Don't be stupid_.

_Are_ _you_ _calling me stupid?_

_If I_ _am?_

_SHUT UP!_ Kouji, out of anger, hit his seat. With great reluctance, he allowed the guilty side of him to win and confessed, "I've got something to do at seven, but...I'll come a bit after, if that's okay."

"Of course!"

The car slowed to a stop in the chosen parking place of Mr. Minamoto. Kouji became aware they were in the same park as Takuya, and made sure to use every maneuver to avoid contact with the goggle boy or anyone attending his daylong barbecue and picnic.

In the back of his mind, Kouji thought, _I mean, how can they _stand_ that much junk food? They _could_ eat healthier_. He sulked behind his father and stepmother as they headed for the reserved picnic tables, which were, much to Kouji's relief, on the opposite side of the park as that of Takuya's.Yet a part of him was confused. If he was so happy about this, why couldn't he keep his head up and smile?

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A/N-

Done with Part 1. Two more…

Review or PM or Flame.


	2. Impersonating, Contemplating

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Part 2: Impersonating, Contemplating

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With an impatient sigh, Kouji brushed a stray strand of hair out of his eyes. _Where was I? Twelve bottles of milk on the wall, twelve bottles of milk...take one down, drink it all down, eleven bottles of milk on the wall...eleven bottles of milk...oh screw this_. Kouji stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm going for a walk," he muttered, "I'll be back in a few."

His father acquiesced. "Alright. Ten minutes maximum, and then we've got to get some rest! What with all the partying coming tonight and all!"

_Is that all he thinks about?_ "Whatever..." Kouji slouched his shoulders a bit.

"Kouji, make that twenty minutes. You really look like you need the rest, but some fresh air would do you some good," Satomi called out.

_Thanks_, Kouji thought, and broke into a run. _Enough time to murder Takuya_.

His jog to find Takuya was a short one, mainly because he didn't have to go any further than the park. The rest of the gang was there as well, supervised by a complaining Yutaka.

"First off, you're all old enough to take care of yourself!" he snapped, sitting on the swing and folding his arms with a glare. "Second, I have people to call!" His gaze narrowed on the other five children, all of who were sitting on the platform and blocking the slide.

"Yutaka's got a girlfriend!" Tomoki sang.

"And a _life_!" added the frustrated Himi.

With a snicker, Takuya, spotting Kouji, sang, "Kouji's got a girlfriend!"

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? GET DOWN HERE AND SAY THAT!" Kouji barked, fisting his hands and marching towards the ladder and stopping there. _No, Kouji, don't lower yourself to this_. He stood there, glaring up at Takuya. _Maybe _this_ is more lowering_...

While he was busy pondering these facts, Takuya looked at Izumi. "Hey, did you-" he started, but was cut off with a quick, firm nod.

Kouichi rolled his eyes and muttered something about being inconspicuous, earning a silent hit on the arm from Izumi. Tomoki continued to jeer at his brother, and Junpei, who had fallen asleep against the smooth backing of the balustrade, continued to snore away.

Feigning innocence, Takuya jumped down from the top of the stairs into the tanbark ground, accidentally toppling over at his landing. When he sat up and grinned, he asked, "So what brings you to these parts, stranger?"

As he helped Takuya up, Kouji ran these words through his head again and again. Stranger, he told himself. Yeah, you still are. Shrugging, he murmured, "I had time."

Seemingly out of nowhere, Kouichi pulled on his blue baseball cap and murmured, "Time...? You can get the flowers, can't you?" His head was bowed so his chin was tucked to his chest, and Kouji couldn't make out his expression.

"Yes," the younger of the twins answered automatically, biting the tip of his tongue as he shut his mouth.

"Forget the vases. Or-Tomoki, do you need the vases?" Kouichi looked up, face void of emotion.

_He's doing this on purpose_, Kouji thought, frowning in annoyance while Tomoki answered with a cheerful, "No! Junpei, Yutaka and I came up with another plan of action! Right, Junpei?"

Junpei answered with a grunt and sat up, eyes opening for the first time in minutes. "If Izumi's okay with it, that is."

Sending a glare in his direction, Izumi snapped, "No, I'm not okay with it. Takuya's doing it!"

"Oh, right..." Junpei leaned back against the wall of the walkway and shut his eyes again.

Below, Takuya let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Me...?" A forced smile strained his face as he looked up to Izumi and asked, "Why me?"

"Because, it was _your_ idea in the first place!" Izumi said.

"No! Tomoki thought of it, not me!"

"Take credit for your actions, Takuya," Tomoki reprimanded, waving a finger at the boy.

"Since when were you my _mom_?"

"Your mom tells you that?"

"No duh?"

"And I thought I was alone," muttered the boy, adjusting his giant orange hat and gazing down at Kouji through the green bars. "Hey, Kouji, why are you here at the park, anyway?" he yelled down.

"I can hear just fine," Kouji muttered through gritted teeth.

"Sorry."

Kouichi answered before his brother had a chance to open his mouth again. "Dad's got a few friends throwing parties around today. Isn't that right...?"

Again, Kouichi's head was bowed, and Kouji wasn't sure if the shadowed look was directed towards him or someone else. It seemed angled, and the stifled laugh from Izumi didn't help, what with Takuya next to him making the most ridiculous faces.

"I've got it!" Takuya suddenly announced, shooting his fist in the air. "Let's all walk Kouji back!"

Kouji paled. Mouth open and jaw hanging in shock, he whispered, "No."

Everyone, even Junpei, had began the descent from the top platform, but now stopped in the middle of where they were. What he had said came out so suddenly and quietly that Tomoki, who had been climbing down the ladder, lost his balance and fell on top of Takuya, knocking the goggle boy forward.

"I'm okay," came the muffled reply from Takuya.

"N-no, that's okay," Kouji said quickly, turning around and reddening_. I'm DOOMED! Doomed, I tell you. Doomed. They're just trying to kill me_. Quickly, he added so no one would suspect anything, "I'm...here for a walk! You know, to enjoy the...the fresh air!" He silently thanked Satomi for telling him that earlier.

"Liar."

This came from Kouichi, and both brothers locked eyes. "So are you going to tell us what's wrong, or do we have to tickle it out of you?" The bandana boy's twin jumped off from where he was on the stairs and gazed at his brother and curiosity.

The look of discontent was obvious on Kouji's face. In an even voice, he declared, "I'm not ticklish, you know."

"I know."

"It's useless to threaten me with tickling."

"I know."

"Stop moving towards me. I'm claustrophobic."

"I know."

"THEN WHY ARE YOU SCARING ME?"

From the swings, Yutaka yelled out, "Has anyone else noticed that none of the little kids who should be playing on this playground are here?"

"I am!" Shinya popped out from under one of the structures, pointing furiously at Takuya. "Liar! You said you had to go to the bathroom!"

"I...uh...I do!" Takuya insisted. He grabbed Kouji's arm. "But first, we've got to drop Kouji off!"

Placing his hands on his hips, Shinya growled, "You're a bad liar, Takuya..."

"RUN!" Without warning, Takuya dashed forward, dragging Kouji with him. The two embarked on a journey that led them to the halfway point between the park, and the barbecue Kouji's parents were attending. Junpei and Tomoki followed just a few feet behind, and caught up with the two seconds after they stopped. Yutaka came next, running and yelling about how he was responsible for all of them, and that they had no right running off like that. Junpei countered smoothly with the fact that he didn't like the job and they could take care of themselves (which was perfectly true, and Yutaka would have to agree if he knew of their adventures in the Digital World).

Last to the finish line were Kouichi and Izumi, conversing in low voices. All the boys watched Takuya in amusement as he began spurting nonsense about how he was just as good as Kouichi. When the two approached, Kouichi and Izumi stepped aside from each other revealing Shinya, who let out a squeamish growl and pounced on his brother.

The two boys continued their violent scuffle and Kouichi and Izumi turned to each other and shook hands. "A deal's a deal," Kouichi said solemnly, and Izumi just laughed.

Kouji rose an eyebrow in suspicion. "Deal?"

"Nothing," Izumi murmured with a smile.

"Speaking of-Leggo my goggles, dweeb!" Takuya grabbed his brother's hands and twisted the boy's arms painfully behind his back. "Speaking of deals...what happened to that one where you promised to take me on a date?" he asked with a pout.

Izumi opened her mouth and hesitated. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, turning away from Takuya.

"Hey! The one when Kouji and I went to-" He stopped, noticing the glares from nearly everyone, the clueless look on Kouji's face and a confused stare from Yutaka. "-to...to...oh, you guys all suck!" he exclaimed angrily, jumping to his feet. "Kouji, you're a loser."

The bandana boy merely rolled his eyes. "Says you," he countered.

Angrily, Takuya grabbed Kouji by the lapels. "I know what you have planned!" he snapped. "It won't work!"

Kouji's mouth went dry. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said weakly.

"You're all against me! And Kouji's the leader, huh?" Mercilessly, Takuya shoved the startled bandana boy back behind the nearby bathroom building until everyone lost sight of him.

Junpei gave Kouichi a troubled look. "Is this part of the plan?" he asked dumbly, but was quickly hushed by Tomoki, Izumi and Yutaka. Shinya had disappeared, presumably to help Takuya (or Kouji). Confused, he cast a glance at the pavement ahead. A man whose face was all too familiar to him was walking up to them.

As if on cue, Kouichi pulled down his hat and cleared his throat. "Uh, hi...Dad." He said this in his most awkward imitation of a Kouji voice.

From behind the building, they could hear an indignant voice yell, "My bandana-"

"Hello, Mr. Minamoto," Junpei said quickly, grabbing the man's hand and shaking it vigorously. "I'm Junpei."

Kouichi nearly smacked his forehead out of exasperation. His willpower remained strong, and he kept his head down. "Uh...anyway..."

Mr. Minamoto opened and closed his mouth several times before nodding. Quietly, he said, "You changed clothes?" more a statement than a question, but for the sake of conversation, a question.

The two began conversing in low voices.

"Yeah."

"In five minutes?"

"I've been working on running...?"

The man nodded slowly. "I see..."

"Yeah."

"No bandana either."

"I thought it was time for a change in head gear."

"About time."

"Yeah, bandanas are getting a bit old. I gave mine to an idi-I mean, some guy."

"They're very informal, but so are hats."

"Like goggles," Kouichi agreed.

_Why are they talking about things like this?_ Izumi quickly cleared her throat. "Has Kouji told you about the party we're having tonight, Mr. Minamoto?"

Kousei smiled and inclined his head. "I'm afraid we won't be able to make it," he said.

_Bang_. Kouichi hid his smile. It was getting harder by the second to control himself. "Sorry about that, Izumi," he said in his most sincere, apologetic voice, not bothering to sound a bit like Kouji.

"I'm sure Takuya won't mind." There was meaning in the smiles that were exchanged.

"Well, Kouji, ten more minutes and we're leaving," Kousei told 'Kouji.'

"Right."

"I'll leave you here then."

"Okay."

"Alright."

"You can go now."

"I can, can't I?"

"JUST GET GOING!" Takuya shouted from the corner of the building, pushing his brother away. "I DON'T NEED YOU BUGGING ME WHILE I'M TYING SOMEONE UP!"

"I'm your cover!" Shinya insisted.

"NO."

Shinya turned around and ran. "I'm telling Mom!" he called out.

"N-NO! SHINYA, WAIT! HOW IS THAT FAIR! I DON'T HAVE ANY DIRT ON YOU!" Takuya screamed, chasing after his brother.

_Bad sense of justice there_. Kouichi shook his head. "Uh...I'll...go check on him!" he said quickly before spinning around on his heel and dashing off, everyone else on his heel. Yutaka was the last to leave, caught in a confused daze until it occurred to him that his charges were running off again. With a polite bow to Mr. Minamoto, he ran after them.

--------------------------------------

It was well past four, and everyone was seated at the benches, enjoying some ice cream.

"I just realized," Takuya suddenly commented, "that we should untie Kouji now!"

Junpei's spoon fell into his ice cream. Swallowing, he asked in a small voice, "What?"

Kouichi's reaction was worse. In unison with Yutaka and Izumi, he asked in a loud, demanding voice, "YOU DIDN'T UNTIE HIM?"

The ice cream began to melt as Takuya held up his hands in front of him defensively. "Ah, don't worry, I'm sure he's fine! We only left him out in the sun for five minutes!" he tried to reassure them, but by that time, Kouichi had run off to see if his brother was still tied up. The goggle boy paused, then examined Kouichi's untouched ice cream. "Hey...do you think he'd want that?"

"Takuya, you're disgusting," Izumi muttered, shaking her head.

--------------------------------------

Kouji cursed the strength of embroidery floss and spat out the thin threads that made their way into his mouth. He had managed to chew his way through the 'ropes' Takuya had tied his hands with, and then undid the ones binding his feet. Never before had he felt so humiliated...moreover, like a mouse. With a wry laugh, he thought, _Why didn't I just digivolve? Oh, wait, because it's broad daylight, and a bunch of little kids are already staring at me when they pass me. A giant wolf that's armed with guns and swords won't help_.

He stood up and picked up his wet bandana, staring at it distastefully. _I really should wash this thing now. If Takuya ever stuffs it in my mouth again, I'll make him choke on his own goggles_, the boy vowed, and was about to head back to his parents when he heard someone call out his name.

"Hey, wait up!" Kouji turned around and blinked as he saw his brother stop a few feet in front of him, collapsing back onto the cement ground and trying to catch his breath. "I thought...Takuya...tied you up."

After pondering how to answer the question, Kouji shrugged and answered honestly: "I chewed my way out."

His brother looked surprised. "Really now? From wolf to mouse, eh?" Kouichi broke into a smile. "So, you'll be getting the flowers?" he asked.

An irritated look graced his features as he thought, _How many times have I been asked that question?_ "For goodness sakes, yes. Stop asking me!" Kouji scowled, narrowing his eyes into a glare.

Kouichi fell into a short period of laughter. When all sounds subsided, he pushed himself to his feet and nodded. "I'll see you tonight?"

_Of course. Not_. Kouji tried to hide the smile from appearing that he looked pained as he replied, "See you tonight." He waved as his brother turned around and dashed off, making sure Kouichi was at a distance before he burst into his own laughter. _Stupid. My plan is going to work!_

It would have helped if he hadn't been preoccupied by Takuya.

--------------------------------------

Kouji took the moment to reflect on his entire, pointless day. As usual, it was just another Mother's Day, just as he expected. There was nothing special about this one, other than the fact that he had been accused of having a girlfriend twice, had been hinted to that all boys thought of girls, had been caught in embarrassing situations with roses, had choked on a burger, and had been tied up with embroidery floss, not at all in that order. Other events came flooding back into his memory bank, overflowing his head until he decided to end it and sleep.

It was quiet and peaceful. He needed the sleep anyway; even Satomi agreed. With the heavy feel of the heat in the air, despite the fact that the shades were drawn and his window was open, Kouji felt his eyelids slowly close, and felt himself caressed into sleep.

The events that decided to overflow his head with thoughts came spilling out, slipping into his dreams to haunt him.

_It was a peaceful day, anyone could agree_. _There were too many flowers and butterflies and too little trees for Kouji's liking_. _The fact was, out of the entire park, only one tree was large enough to shade the three of them_: _Kouichi, their mother, and Kouji himself_.

"_More mashed potatoes, Mom?_" _asked Kouji, holding out a bowl of mashed potatoes. This struck him as strange_. Why would I be offering anyone mashed potatoes? _he wondered, but continued to delve deeper into the dream_.

_At this time, his mother's back was turned to him. The second she turned, Kouji froze, eyes widening in fear_.

That isn't Mom, _he realized as the mashed potatoes spilled onto the picnic blanket beneath them_. _He scrambled back, unsure of what to believe_. That's Satomi.

"_What's the matter, Kouji?_" _Satomi asked, now standing. There was a change of scenery from the meadow of the park to a more drab room_. _The colors seemed to melt from the wall. She took a step towards him_.

Stay away! _Kouji wanted so desperately to scream this_, _but his voice wouldn't work_. _His mouth opened furiously and noiseless words spilled out_. _At a loss, he stepped away from her, determined to stay away_.

_It suddenly occurred to him he didn't know what he was doing anymore_. _Immobilized, Kouji stared intently at Satomi_. _Why was he running?_ _Did he hate her_? _Shouldn't he be a better son?_

What is going on? Nothing makes sense! Someone tell me what's going on, _begged the bandana boy, unable to control himself as he continued to back away_. _He hit something and whirled his head around, mouth opened to the shape of an 'o' in fear_. Dad! _Swallowing, Kouji turned his body fully and backed up towards where Satomi had been previously_. _Between the torment from his father or Satomi, he preferred the latter, as Satomi couldn't do much_.

_He continued to back away_, _hoping the dream would provide him with some weapon or another. Instead_, _he bumped into something else. _Satomi_, he guessed, and was disappointed when he turned around_. _Where Satomi had been stood Kouichi, backed by Takuya, Izumi, Junpei, and Tomoki_. _They all seemed to be in a trance, save Kouichi, staring at him with a crazy smile on their face_.

"_Come on, Kouji_," _they told him_, "_You have to come_."

"_You can't. Satomi is your mother_," _his father said_.

"_Come, Kouji_."

"_Will you hurt her_?"

"_Kouji_..."

"_Kouji_..."

"_Come_."

"_You_ _are my son_."

"NO!" Kouji screamed, sitting up in his bed. The covers were gripped tightly in his hands, his pillow lay on the floor, and he could make out his toes on the other side of the bed. Frowning, Kouji slipped out of the bed and began to straighten things out.

Satomi had rushed upstairs at the sound of Kouji's scream. Not bothering to acknowledge the fact that he was tidying up, she stuck a hand on his forehead and murmured, "Do you have a fever? You seem a bit sick to me."

Flushing red, Kouji replied in a squeak that he was perfectly fine and just tired. Satomi left without a fuss, and Kouji was left in his room to think again.

--------------------------------------

Izumi bit her lower lip in worry. "Do you think he'll-"

Quickly and smoothly, Kouichi interrupted, "Of course."

_Did he just read my mind_? Again, Izumi tried, "But how can you be-"

"He's my brother," Kouichi replied.

"Nevertheless-"

"Believe me."

"Takuya...?" Izumi turned to the goggle boy, desperate and out of ideas.

Grinning, the goggle boy leaned back on his arm. "Trust him, Izumi." After a pause and staring at the ice cream cone in hand, Takuya added, "After all..."

"This is Kouji we're talking about," Kouichi reminded her.

_Boys_, Izumi thought, shaking her head in dismay.

--------------------------------------

A/N-

Part 2 done.

Review or PM or Flame.


	3. Flowering

Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon.

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Part 3: Flowering

--------------------------------------

_Too many colors_, Kouji thought, gazing sadly at the vibrant hues of yellow and orange. In the other side of the shop, there were dozens upon dozens of red roses. _I can't decide_...

"Hi, need help?" he heard the clerk ask, walking up to him.

_NO!_ Furiously, he shook his head.

She continued relentlessly, "Is it a girlfriend-no, Mother's Day, am I right?" She didn't even bother to wait for his response. "That's right, you bought those roses twice today. So what is it now? More roses?"

"I can help myself thanks," Kouji said. He sounded rude and he knew it, but at the moment it didn't matter. He sent a final glance through all the flowers. "I..." _How much money do I have with me?_ He pulled out his wallet and discovered just enough money for his plan. Biting his lip, he mumbled, "I'll take..." Breath hitched in his throat, he squeezed his eyes shut and told the girl what he wanted.

He was going to have a _lot_ to carry.

--------------------------------------

He was late.

Either way, he was late.

_There's no way I can get there in time like this_, Kouji told himself, scowling at the flowers in his hands. He had bought a dozen roses, and six of the special Mother's Day assortments the shop had.

The sky was turning a dark blue now, and the streetlights were turning on. Slowly, the crowd on the sidewalks thinned out, and cars became less frequent. Kouji gave up two blocks from the store and would have hung his head in shame, had it not meant eating flower petals.

Eventually, the people just stopped passing him. Passers-by were rare, and Kouji was still unsure of what to do. _If only Takuya were here, I could dump this onto him and not have to worry_, the boy thought with an inward groan. _Come on, what would Junpei suggest...?_ He bit his lip at that thought, imagining the boy telling him to stuff the flowers up his sleeve. _Don't think my jacket can take that_. _What about Tomoki? Izumi?_ He imagined skipping around and handing passers-by flowers. _Scratch that_. _Kouichi?_ _Oh, wait...I know this. _'_Who cares? Come no matter what it takes!_'

"Yeah, well I can't!" Kouji yelled, kicking the metal pole of the stop sign. He let out a loud curse and began hopping on one foot.

In the distance, he heard someone-an old man's voice-yell, "Shut up!" and it didn't take much to guesshe were talking to Kouji.

Angrily he replied, "If you don't like it, move!" He didn't have time for this. It wasn't the Digital World, where time didn't matter unless you were trying to beat up idiots like Cherubimon or Lucemon. And when you came back, time in the real world wouldn't have passed.

_Lobomon would be disgusted with my lack of brain_, Kouji realized, shaking his head and placing his injured foot on solid ground. He nearly fell over. _Wait_-_LOBOMON!_ Nearly cackling with glee, he moved a hand to get his D-Tector out of his pocket, but the bouquets shifted in his hands. Kouji froze.

"NO," Kouji groaned loudly, and ignored the heated swearing of the man at the window.

--------------------------------------

Kouichi swallowed nervously and cast a desperate glance at Yutaka. "Time?"

"Eight o' two," came the answer.

With a groan, Kouichi allowed his head to fall on the wooden bench table with a dull thud. Everyone fell silent at this motion out of sympathy, save Izumi. "What happened to 'He's my brother,' and 'Trust him, Izumi,' and-" Her voice grew more shrill with each passing accusation.

This continued for several more seconds until Takuya cringed and interrupted loudly, "Izumi, you can't blame us for a sudden change in his character. This wasn't our choice." He lowered his voice. "Besides, I'm sure Kouji will pull through," he added. This came hastily, and his eyes shifted to gain support from Tomoki, Yutaka, and Junpei, all three deciding it was time to gaze at the darkened sky.

Izumi stood stubborn, hands moving from her hips to fold reasonably in front of her chest. Her voice rang out as she stated in cold and unforgiving voice, "He won't come."

"He will...he has to," Kouichi said softly, picking up his head and staring at the table top in front of him. His voice faltered when he continued, "He promised me, and he can't break our promise. Not Kouji, he wouldn't-"

The doubt began to sink into everyone's heads.

"He won't come," Takuya repeated bitterly.

"He won't come," agreed Kouichi, voice soft. It came out as a sigh.

Izumi did her best to ignore the pang of guilt that ran through her, but it was too much to ignore. "_Please_," she cried angrily, "you aren't supposed to give up so easily!"

All the boys looked up at her with dull eyes. Yutaka sat down beside his brother and began to drum his fingers on the table.

The girl did her best to control her temper, but with the drumming and Takuya's occasional mutterings, she felt control slip through her fingers. "Come on. Think rationally," she told them.

"We are! Who are we kidding? He's Kouji. Since when has he cared? We're being perfectly rational," Junpei insisted.

"SEE!" Izumi pointed towards the boy. "You _aren't_. If I'm the voice of doubt, are you going to let me win so easily?" No one said anything but stared morosely at the ground. "Oh, _come on_. You guys are just-"

"Hey!" someone yelled out in the distance. Heads turned.

Kouichi allowed his head to fall on the table again. "Hah. See? I'm so caught up in my thoughts that I'm imagining that Kouji's right over there...walking towards us with a bunch of bouquets in his hand," he muttered in annoyance.

A growl sounded. "If _no one _is going to help me, I'm going to drop everything _here and now_!" shouted the boy.

"It's Kouji!" Takuya cried out gleefully, jumping out of his seat. As he pulled out his right leg, however, his ankle got caught and he was sent sprawling forward, luckily landing in a grassy area. Not the least bit deterred, he rose to his feet and ran to meet up with the bandana boy.

Kouichi sighed and shook his head as he looked up to gaze in front of him, still not thinking to look back. "Takuya's lost it. Kouji's not going to be here."

Izumi bit her lip to keep a hold of her patience, which she was quickly losing. Junpei and Tomoki giggled and snickered, unsure of whether they should tell Kouichi or not. Before they could debate the matter properly, they heard Takuya say something, and a very loud smacking sound follow the comment. The yell was overpowered by the hit.

Finally, Kouichi turned around, eyes wide in disbelief. "Oh...my..."

"Takuya!" Izumi blurted, running up to check if the goggle boy was okay.

As Kouichi rose to his feet, he caught sight of Shinya charging towards his fallen brother, letting out a fierce battle cry and stopping when he realized Takuya had already fallen. His shoulders drooped in disappointment.

Letting out a relieved sigh, Kouichi walked up to his brother and glared accusingly. "You," he snapped. "You had us worried for a second!"

"For an hour," Yutaka corrected, taping his watch. Tomoki just beamed proudly, getting across the message, 'This is my brother. He's actually very smart, despite the fact that he may look incredibly dumb.'

"Not to mention several minutes," Junpei added for a good measure.

Kouji just rolled his eyes. "Hey, Shinya, kick up your brother, would you?" he asked the little boy.

"Okay!" Shinya walked up to Izumi, who was kneeling by his brother. "Izumi, can you move? I need to kick Takuya," he said earnestly.

Finding the entire situation absolutely hilarious, Izumi nodded, and managed to hold her laughter back through pursed lips. Not wanting to get kicked, especially by his brother, Takuya scrambled to his feet. "But it honestly looks like it!" he insisted to Kouji.

Kouji's eyes narrowed dangerously and Takuya blanched. The bandana boy shoved the flowers forward. "Someone else take them," he said in a weary voice. "I've got to go-"

"No!" Kouichi shouted, grabbing his brother's left arm while Takuya took the flowers, handing one bouquet to Izumi, another to Shinya, and the rest to Yutaka and Junpei to split. "Uh...that is...why don't you stay for a few minutes?" he suggested, leading his brother to the picnic tables. "I'm sure mom would _love_ to talk to you." He added this out of haste and so as to not sound too suspicious.

Eyes wide, Kouji shook his head. "No, really," he insisted, "I think I'm-"

"_Come_," said Kouichi through gritted teeth. He was no longer dragging Kouji by the arm, but instead clenching his hands by his side, occasionally unclenching them to wipe the sweat off. What was more was that he had no need to, as everyone else had Kouji surrounded by all sides.

Suddenly, Yutaka muttered in confusion, "Why am I joining in?"

Shinya's enthusiasm made up for his. "Yeah!" the boy exclaimed. "Let's go! Let's go, let's go, let's go!" He began jumping up and down in front of Kouji, brandishing the bouquet until Izumi confiscated it with a gentle reprimand because the petals were falling.

"We need them," she reminded the boy with a wink, and Shinya grinned in understanding and began bouncing up and down again.

"...fine..." Kouji gave in to the inevitable, because with them it really was inevitable. He was lead to the picnic tables and told to wait there while everyone else spread out, talking to their parents or each other, but just having a good time.

He watched his brother with great jealously as Kouichi walked over to their mother and handed her his baseball cap for safekeeping. It just didn't seem fair. Kouichi was always with her, and he was full of surprises and presents...

Kouji could do nothing. He felt useless. Not one single gift had ever left his hands, nothing other than _flowers_. What were flowers to him but the easy way out?

He folded his arms on the table and rested his chin there. _I'll never face her_, he realized. A panicked dismay overwhelmed him. _I can't talk to my own mother! This is her special day and I can't give her anything_...

"Kouji...?"

"Not now, Dad," the boy groaned, shutting his eyes. _This just isn't fair_. _I have to be able to do something_.

"So who made the burgers? They're pretty good."

"Tomoki," the boy mumbled absentmindedly.

An appraising 'ah' escaped Mr. Minamoto. "I see," he said.

"Whatever..." Kouji sank back into his sulking state with a sigh. _But I can't do anything_..._I mean, I can't even fish!_ _Even Dad would-_

Kouji's eyes widened. Turning stiff, he looked over his shoulder. _Dad_.

Kousei smiled thinly and looked fondly at the burger in his hand. "Did you try this?" he asked.

A loud groan escaped him. "Takuya...!" he yelled, understanding the reason the goggle boy had asked for his home phone number of all things.

"Izumi did it!" came the indignant shriek. Izumi just hid a smile and pointed at her father, who was scrutinizing the choices of foods on one of the picnic tables they had reserved.

"What happened to that other party?" Kouji asked seethingly, heating up as he realized with each passing second that he had been tricked.

"This is the other party," Kousei informed his son with a grin. "Oh, come on, Kouji!" He clapped the boy on the back soundly. "Enjoy the party! Live!" he exclaimed.

Hurt and embarrassed, Kouji sent a death glare in his brother's direction. It was one thing to know that he had been outwitted and tricked. It was another thing that this entire scheme had been orchestrated by none other than his brother and his friends.

_Some friends_, he thought bitterly. _They aren't even telling me what's going on_.

As if reading his mind in a way, Kousei took a seat beside the boy and murmured, "So why didn't you tell us?"

"Why did you lie to me?" Kouji returned.

"You didn't lie. I didn't lie. We're even, if you ask me."

Kouji's voice rose to dangerous volumes until it cracked. "You _lied_ to me! You said your friend-"

Shaking his head, the boy's father said, "He _is_ my friend. We go back to college, actually. Haven't talked in years. Now about all those outings you had in the past month. _You_ said it was a friend." He waited for an answer.

It took the first few seconds to understand what his father was talking about. "Kouichi is my friend!" he blurted defensively.

"I never said he wasn't."

"And why should I tell _you_? _You're_ the one who said...who...who said..." Realizing all eyes were on him, Kouji lowered his head and gave up on words. It didn't seem fair to him. No one understood what he was feeling. No one understood his views on the matter.

Then again, he didn't understand theirs.

"Why...don't you care?" he asked in a quiet voice.

His father had been busy eating the burger as was in the middle of chewing. "One second," he said through a mouthful, holding up a finger for Kouji to wait.

Kouji's eyes narrowed. _Disgusting_. _Is he really my father_?

"I care," Kousei said, once he had swallowed. "I would have told you when you were old enough. It's bad enough that we divorced, but twins make it double trouble, you know. Do we have any more of those burgers? They're really-"

A growl. "On track, please?" _He's not my father, is he? An alien, perhaps_.

Smiling at the sight of his son, Kousei exclaimed, "I do care! You're just over thinking things, Kouji. You need to get out more." He left Kouji like that, and went to talk to everyone else.

It was then that he realized what he had to do.

His eyes scanned the park, squinting to better see the darkened areas. He finally located who he was looking for. "Takuya!" Kouji shouted, waving his hand in the air. "Get over here!"

"We're busy!" the goggle boy returned. He was running away from the picnic tables, with the gang, Shinya, and Yutaka at his tail. "You get over here!"

Kouji bit his lip and took a last look at all the adults around the picnic area. Satomi and his mother were conversing, easy smiles on their faces.

Was he really thinking to hard? His father's words came back to him. '_You're just over thinking things, Kouji_,' he had said. '_You need to get out more_.'

Without thinking twice, Kouji got up and ran after Takuya, still unsure of what was going on.

--------------------------------------

"Operation Kazemon?"

"Failed."

"Operation BurningGreymon?"

"Failed."

"Why the ridiculous names?" Yutaka inquired.

Takuya ignored Yutaka. "Operation dress Shinya up as a sugarplum fairy?" he asked, out of any other ideas.

"Fail-hey!" Shinya scowled.

Junpei stared distastefully at Yutaka. "Tomoki, shouldn't your brother _not_ be here...?" he said cautiously.

Angrily, Yutaka snapped, "What?" He clenched his fists indignantly by his sides and stood up at his full height.

"Ignore him, Junpei. Concentrate!" scolded Tomoki, pointing to where the group had huddled.

Tapping his chin thoughtfully, Kouichi suggested, "We could always put them in MetalKabuterimon and shoot them out."

"I can't scatter," returned Junpei. "It won't look pretty."

The boys turned to Izumi. Reddening, she retorted, "Maybe if someone told me _ahead_ of time, I could have practiced!" Her glare was directed more towards Takuya than anyone else.

Shinya doodled in the sand. "I like fireworks," he mumbled absentmindedly. "They're loud..."

"Like you!" yelled Takuya, aiming to tackle his brother down.

The arrival of Kouji put a stop to this. "Hey!" he snapped, kicking Takuya's side. "Don't pick on your brother. What's going on, anyway?" His gaze fell upon everyone, save Kouichi, and he knew very well the older of the twins realized this.

He was ignored, however.

"We want fireworks," Kouichi said slowly.

Izumi sent the boy a startled glance. "Fireworks?"

Eyes filled with excitement, Kouichi turned to his brother. "Of course! MagnaGarurumon!" he whispered in delight.

Everyone gawked at him. "You're going to blow up our parents?" Takuya asked incredulously, the pain in his side forgotten.

"No!" Kouichi sent Takuya a disturbed look and shook his head. "Listen, if we replaced the explosives in Magnagarurumon with _flowers_ and launched them, it would be like fireworks! At least...I don't know..."

Junpei bit his lower lip and sent Tomoki a look. "I think we might..." Tomoki looked up and nodded thoughtfully. "We'll think about it. In the meantime, we'll require Kouji's utmost cooperation..." They sent him an impish grin.

"What...?"

--------------------------------------

"You're lying!" Yutaka shouted, gazing up at MagnaGarurumon. "That's not a machine."

_Of course I'm not a machine_, the digimon wanted to shout, but kept silent as all the artillery was removed.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Kouichi tried again. "Of course it's not a machine. It's...a digital thing," he explained with great awkwardness. He looked over his shoulder. "Are we done _yet?_" Trying to explain to Yutaka was putting a great toll on his sanity, something he valued above all other things.

"Let me try," Izumi suggested, placing a reassuring hand on Kouichi's shoulder. Keeping an eye on Shinya and Takuya, who had been misbehaving and deserved a 'time out,' she told Yutaka, "You see, it's like a barcode. We have a fractal code, though, and the D-Tector...uh...scans through that and...reads the information. Then it...the D-Tector, that is, sees if it's allowed to give out the code of the digimon for that person. Understand?" She looked at him now, eyes full of confidence.

"WHAT?" Yutaka bellowed.

"Are we done yet?" Izumi cried frantically.

A short laugh escaped Tomoki. "Well, we could use a Datamon," he joked.

"Some extra hands wouldn't hurt," Junpei added.

Seeing his brother standing there dumbfounded while everyone else rushed forward, Tomoki yelled, "Yutaka, you too!"

"I still don't get it," Yutaka whined.

"HURRY UP," snapped the impatient MagnaGarurumon. "If I shed my artillery, I usually do so _after_ I use it. This just makes me feel..."

"_Don't_ say it," Izumi advised, "unless you want to die."

Wisely, he kept shut.

--------------------------------------

Yutaka looked at his watch for the twelfth time that evening. "It's past nine," he told them. "I wouldn't be surprised if they left us here to sleep." He tried to hold back a yawn, but it came out.

"Then _help_ us," scowled Takuya, serious for the first time in minutes. The truth was that he was tired of unscrewing and screwing together the artillery. "One more, and I'm going to-"

"Done!" Tomoki announced, motioning to MagnaGarurumon. "_Hopefully_ this won't go in flames," he added.

It took several more minutes to decide what to do with the artillery. The problem was that Junpei wasn't sure of the safety of putting the artillery back on MagnaGarurumon. "This isn't the Digital World," he reminded them. "If the plan _does_ go up in flames, MagnaGarurumon might not be safe, so who's got some string? We'll make fuses and light then, and if something goes wrong, Kumamon can freeze the fire. Right, Tomoki?"

"Right!" chirped the younger of the two, nodding in agreement.

Junpei nodded, then stopped. "Uh...string...?" he asked again.

Shinya offered a wad of thin and stringy purple embroidery floss. "Will this work?" he asked. When he received no answer, he pulled another wad of string from his other pocket. "Mom's got _lots_," he told everyone with a grin.

Swallowing, Junpei nodded. "That...should work." He averted his gaze to Takuya. "Agunimon-" he started.

Pulling out his D-Tector, Takuya just grinned. "I've got it covered."

--------------------------------------

Deciding Yutaka could take his place in the work, Kouji sat back and relaxed during the minutes it took for them to set up the string. It was all very roughly planned, but it was decided that Takuya would be setting the 'flower fireworks' off.

Kouji felt cheated out of his job. It wasn't fair, he reasoned, that Takuya got the credits for launching them. He wanted his own time to shine. He wanted to _do_ something, not _help_ do something. There was a big difference between the two that he couldn't help but see.

_I'm more than just a frequent visitor of the florist shop_, Kouji told himself. _I can give something more, can't I?_ He bit his lip and gazed down at his open hands. _I want to do something more_.

"We're done!" Takuya shouted. "Get going, losers!"

They all made their way back to the picnic tables without Takuya. Kouji lagged behind the rest, trying to think of something. He was tired of the typical Mother's Days, tired of hiding, tired of lying. He wanted to start on a clean slate again. He wanted his family to _be_ rather than _not_ be.

"That's..." Kouji bit his lip and tried not to groan out loud. _Of course_, he thought, giving himself a mental smack on the head. Picking up his pace, he was now walking alongside Kouichi. A barely audible, "Thank you," left his lips before he continued to speed up and was the first to reach the picnic tables.

_I want my youth back_.

Biting his lip, he winced as a loud crackle erupted and smoky clouds covered the sky. A rain of flower petals came fluttering down towards the ground. Encouraged, Kouji pushed his way through the small crowd gathering towards the side of the picnic area that faced the field until he reached his parents.

_I want to be selfish_.

He stopped between Satomi and his mother. Nervously, he bit his lip, wondering what to do next. Kouji stood there, watching the petals fall one by one. The vibrant, bright, lively colors were only illuminated by the darkly orange background. Absentmindedly, he backed between them, and stood there, watching. One hand slipped into Satomi's, and the other grabbed a hold of his mother's arm.

_I want_...

Tomoko Kimura looked at her son in amazement before looking up questioningly at Kousei, who stood behind Satomi. When he smiled, she relaxed slightly before placing her hand on Kouji's shoulder and looking at Kouichi as he came over. "It's nice, isn't it?" she whispered to no one in particular.

..._my family_...

"You kids know how to put on a show," Kousei agreed with a chuckle.

"It's beautiful..." Satomi squeezed Kouji's hand in hers and smiled softly at the sight before her.

Kouichi nodded and murmured, "It's thanks to Kouji."

"I..." Kouji started, but trailed off.

..._together_.

He thought it would take years before he could feel this complete, but time mattered little now. It began to make sense to him from then.

--------------------------------------

So being alone does tend to get you caught up in your thoughts. It's a hard habit to break, I'll give you that. No one explained to me what the plan was, and I didn't ask. I just thought long and hard, standing there.

_Pretty_ is a word I usually don't like to use. It's impossible not to use it though...maybe beautiful? It was a beautiful night. Props to Kouichi and Takuya for that. And everyone else. And...

I realized that I had been wrong. I began to see spending time with Mom as family time, not neglecting Satomi. I began to see my father for the crazy driver and weird guy he was, not a scary evil dictator of my life. I began to see Satomi as a member of my family, not just another person. I began to see my friends, I began to see my brother.

I nearly smiled that night.

It wasn't that I didn't see these things before. It was that I saw these things, looked away, and when I returned to find them again, something had cloaked them. My own fear and desperation to keep everything a secret was pointless. We were a family, no matter how split; nothing could change that.

Every Mother's Day I've gone through these past years has been stupid, typical, and pointless. I've done absolutely nothing. I've cloistered myself in the house, done my homework, read, maybe fiddled with the guitar, or stared at the picture of Mom on my desk. But every one of those days were different in their own way.

This one was too, but in a significant way. There was much more to my family than I realized. I've always been friendless, a loner...until the Digital World.

Once I left the Digital World and ran to check on Kouichi, my life sorted itself out. It rolled a ball of string down the path I was to take, and like a cat, I followed it, collecting the string as I went along. Somewhere along, the string stopped, and there was a fork in the road. I panicked and chose the shadier side, worried about the exposal of my 'secret.' Yet the more I think about it, the more I realize it was never hidden from anyone.

Dad knew. Mom knew. Satomi knew. Kouichi knew. I tried to hide it.

Sometimes I feel like a link holding together two chains that broke away. But I was trying to keep them apart, not link them. A link doesn't separate what it's connected to. It _joins_ them together. It's unification. It's...

_Family_.

I have a family, and I'm proud they're mine. Two mothers...sure, that's hard in terms of attention, but I'll live, won't I? So long as it isn't a fishing trip, I'll be true to them both, because they're my family.

And hey, now that everyone knows, I won't have to suffer Dad's idiocy by myself. Mom and Kouichi are there in case, and I'm using this in my advantage. You don't think I'd suffer _another_ fishing trip by myself, do you?

After all, isn't that what family is for?

--------------------------------------

FIN

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A/N-

I. Must. Work. On. This. Any corrections/constructive criticism/opinions/thoughts would work. Why is it that every time I start on a one-shot weeks before I intend to have it finished, it turns out _long_ and icky? Being that it's a one-shot, I might actually look through to fix it, but it's a mighty _long_ one-shot...(thus the three chapters).

Thanks for reading, everyone, and a very Merry Mother's Day to you!

Review or PM or Flame.


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